中英文課外閱讀：黑駿馬

中英文課外閱讀：黑駿馬

Chapter1Myfirsthome

ThefirstplaceIcanrememberwellwasapleasant

fieldwithapondofclearwaterinit.Treesmade

shadowsoverthepond,andwaterplantsgrewatthedeep

end.Ononesidewasanotherfield,andontheother

sidewelookedoveragateatourmaster，shouse,which

stoodbytheroadside.Atthetopofourfieldweremore

talltrees,andatthebottomwasafast-runningstream.

WhileIwasyoung,Ilivedonmymother'smilk,

butassoonasIwasoldenoughtoeatgrass,mymother

wentouttoworkduringthedayandcamebackinthe

evening.

Thereweresixotheryounghorsesinmefield,

althoughtheywereolderthanIwas.We

allgallopedtogetherroundthefield,andhadgreat

fun.Butsometimestheotherswouldkickandbite.

'Theyareyoungfarmhorsesand

haven，tlearnedhowtobehave,'mymothertold

me.JYouaredifferent.Yourfatheriswellknown,and

yourgrandfathertwicewonthemostimportantraceat

Newmarket.Yourgrandmotherwasquietandgentle,and

youhaveneverseenmekickorbite,haveyou?Ihope

youwillgrowuptobegentleandawillingworker,

andneverbiteorkick.'

Ihaveneverforgottenmymother,sadvice.Shewas

acleverandsensibleoldhorse.Hernamewas

Duchess,butourmasteroftencalledherPet.Hewas

agood,kindman,andmymotherlovedhimvery

much.Whenevershesawhimatthegate,

shetrottedacross.Heusedtopatherandsay,

‘Well,oldPet,andhowisyourlittleDarkie?'Iwas

adullblackcolour,sohecalledmeDarkie.Hesometimes

broughtapieceofbreadforme,oracarrotformy

mother,andIthinkwewerehisfavourites.

WhenIwastwoyearsold,somethinghappenedwhich

Ihaveneverforgotten.Itwasearlyspring,andthere

wasalightmistoverthetreesandfields.Iandthe

otheryounghorseswerefeedingatthelowerendofthe

fieldwhenweheardthedistantcryofdogs.

Theoldestamongusliftedhisheadto

listen.’Therearethehounds!'hesaid,andimmediately

racedoff.Therestofusfollowedhimtothetopof

thefield,wherewecouldseeseveralfieldsbeyond.

Mymotherandanotheroldhorse

werestandingnear.,They，vefoundahare,5saidmy

mother,5andiftheycomethisway,weshallseethe

hunt.'

Soonthedogswereallracingdownthefieldnext

toours,makingaloud，yo-yo-yo-yo!’soundatthetop

oftheirvoices.Afterthemcamemenonhorses,some

ingreencoats,andallgallopingasfastasthey

could.Suddenly,thedogsbe-camesilentandranaround

withtheirnosestotheground.

'They'velostthesmellofthehare,'saidtheold

horse.’Perhapsitwillescape.’

Butthedogsbegantheir5yo-yo-yo-yo!,againand

cameatfullspeedtowardsourfield.Justthenahare,

wildwithfear,rantowardsthetrees.Thedogsjumped

overthestreamandranacrossthefield,followedby

thehuntsmen.Sixoreightjumpedtheirhorsesover

thestream,closebehindthedogs.Be-foretheharecould

getaway,thedogswereuponherwithwildcries.

Weheardaterriblescream,andthatwastheend

ofthehare.Oneofthemenpickedherupandheldher

bytheleg.Shewascoveredinblood,butallthe

huntsmenseemedpleased.

IwassogreatlysurprisedthatatfirstIdidnot

seewhatwashappeningbythestream,butwhenIdid

look,Isawasadsight.Twofinehorsesweredown,

oneinthestreamandtheotheronthegrass.Onerider,

whoseemedunhurt,wasclimb-ingoutofthewater,

buttheotherlayquitestill.

'Hisneckisbroken,5saidmymother.'Ican't

understandwhymenaresofondofthissport.Theyquite

oftenhurtthem-selvesandruingoodhorses,allfor

oneharethattheycouldgetmoreeasilysomeother

way.Butweareonlyhorses,anddon，tknowwhymen

dothesethings.'

Theycarriedthedeadridertoourmaster，shouse,

andIheardafterwardsthatitwasGeorgeGordon,the

onlysonofalocallandowner,andafineyoungman.

Amanfromthevillagecametolookattheblack

horseonthegrass.Theanimalwasingreatpainand

oneofhislegswasbroken.Themanbegantofeelthe

horseallover,thenheshookhishead.Someoneranto

ourmaster'shouseandcamebackwithagun.Soonafter,

therewasaloudbangandaterriblecry,thenall

wasstill.Theblackhorsedidnotmoveagain.

Mymotherwasveryunhappy.'I'veknownthathorse

foryears,'shesaid.'HisnamewasRobRoy.Hewasa

goodbravehorse.'Sheneverwentnearthatendofthe

fieldagain.

Notmanydaysafter,weheardthechurchbelland

sawalong,strangeblackcarriage,pulledbyblack

horses,theyweretakingthebodyofyoungGeorgeGordon

tothechurchyardtoburyhim.Hewouldneverride

again.IneverknewwhattheydidwithRobRoy,butit

wasallforonelittlehare.

1我的第一個(gè)家

我記憶中的第一個(gè)地方是一大片美麗的田野和一個(gè)清

澈的池塘。樹影倒映在塘中，深水中長(zhǎng)著水草。田野的一邊

連著另一片田野，從另一邊越過一道門能看見主人的房子就

在路邊。田野高處是片高高的樹林，低處是一條湍流不息的

小河。

我小時(shí)候吃媽媽的奶，等我長(zhǎng)大了，能吃草了，媽媽就

白天出去干活，晚上回來。

在這片田野上還有另外匹年輕的馬，他們比我大。我們

起奔跑著穿過田野，非常好玩。不過有時(shí)他們會(huì)踢打撕咬

起來。

“他們是年輕的農(nóng)場(chǎng)馬，沒學(xué)過怎么舉手投足，”媽媽

告訴我，“你是不同的。你爸爸很有名，你的祖父曾兩次在

紐馬克特得過最重要的賽馬比賽的冠軍。你的祖母又安靜又

溫和，你也沒看見過我踢人或咬人，是吧？我希望你長(zhǎng)大以

后能夠性情溫和、工作勤勞，永遠(yuǎn)不要踢咬?！?/p>

我從沒忘記過媽媽的忠告。她是一匹聰慧、明理的老馬,

叫杜琪絲，不過我們主人常叫她寶貝。他是一個(gè)善良的好人,

我媽媽非常愛他。每當(dāng)看到他出現(xiàn)在門口，媽媽就快步跑過

去。他常拍拍她說：“喂，老寶貝，你的小黑好嗎？"我全

身都是深黑色，所以他叫我小黑。有時(shí)他帶給我一片面包，

或是給我媽媽一根胡蘿卜，我覺得我們是他的心頭肉。

我兩歲的時(shí)候，發(fā)生了一件我永遠(yuǎn)無法忘掉的事。那是

一個(gè)初春，樹林和田野都籠罩著一層薄霧。我和其他年輕的

馬們?cè)谔镆暗牡偷剡叧圆?，這時(shí)我們聽到遠(yuǎn)處傳來狗的叫

聲。

我們中年紀(jì)最大的一個(gè)抬頭聽了聽，說：“是獵犬！”

然后他立刻跑了過去。我們也跟著他往高處跑，在那兒我們

能看見遠(yuǎn)處的幾片田野。

我媽媽和另一匹老馬正站在附近。“他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一只野

免，”媽媽說，“如果他們往這邊來，我們就能看到這場(chǎng)狩

獵。”

很快獵犬們向我們旁邊的田野沖下來，高聲地狂吠著。

隨后人們騎著馬跑來了，有的穿著綠色外衣，全都盡力飛奔。

突然，狗們靜了下來，邊跑邊用鼻子在周圍的地面上嗅。

“他們聞不著兔子的味兒了，”那匹老馬說，“也許兔

子能跑掉?！?/p>

但是狗們又叫開了，并全速向我們的田野沖來。這時(shí)一

只野兔向樹林沖來，簡(jiǎn)直嚇瘋了。狗們跳過小河跑過田野，

獵人們緊隨其后?；騻€(gè)人策馬躍過小河，緊跟在狗后面。在

野兔能逃走之前，狗們已經(jīng)狂野地吠著撲到了她身上。

我們聽到了一聲可怕的尖叫，那只野兔就這么完了。一

個(gè)人抓住她的腿把她拎了起來。兔子全身血淋淋的，但所有

的獵人看上去都很高興。

我吃驚地看著這一幕，沒顧得上看河邊的情形?？墒钱?dāng)

我望過去的時(shí)候，看到的則是一幅悲慘的景象。兩匹好馬倒

在那里，一匹在河水里，另一匹在草地上。一個(gè)騎手正從水

里往外爬，看上去沒受傷，但另一個(gè)卻靜靜地躺在地上。

“他脖子折斷了，"我媽媽說?！拔艺娌幻靼诪槭裁慈?/p>

們?nèi)绱讼矏圻@種游戲。他們經(jīng)常傷了自己，也毀了好馬，這

一切就是為了一只野兔。而他們本可以很容易地以其他方式

獲得的。不過我們只是馬，搞不懂人們?yōu)槭裁催@樣做?！?/p>

他們把死了的騎手抬到我們主人的房子里，后來我聽說

那是喬治?高頓，本地農(nóng)場(chǎng)主的獨(dú)生子，一個(gè)挺不錯(cuò)的小伙

子。

一個(gè)人從村里出來看草地上的那匹黑馬。那馬痛得要

命，一條腿斷了。那人摸了摸馬的全身，然后搖了搖頭。有

人跑回我們主人的房子，拿來了一枝槍。隨后是一聲巨響和

一聲可怕的長(zhǎng)嘶，一切便都靜了下來。那匹黑馬一動(dòng)不動(dòng)了。

我媽媽非常不高興。“我認(rèn)識(shí)那馬有好幾年了，”她說,

“他叫羅伯?羅伊，是一匹勇敢的好馬?！彼龔拇嗽?zèng)]靠近

過那片田野。

沒過幾天，我們聽到了教堂的鐘聲，還看見一輛長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的、

奇怪的黑色馬車，被幾匹黑馬拉著。他們是在把年輕的喬

治?高頓的遺體運(yùn)到墓地去埋掉。他永遠(yuǎn)不能再騎馬了。我

不知他們對(duì)羅伯?羅伊是怎么處置的，但這一切都不過是為

了一只小野兔。

Chapter2BirtwickPark

Iwasbeginningtogrowhandsome.Mycoatwasfine

andsoft,andwasashinyblack.Ihadonewhitefoot,

andaprettywhitestaronmyforehead.WhenIwasfour

yearsold,MrGordoncametolookatme.Helookedclosely

atmyeyes,mymouth,andmylegs,andthenIhadto

walkandtrotandgallopforhim.

'Whenhehasbeentrained,'MrGordonsaidtomy

master,5hewilldoverywell.’

Mymasterlikedtotrainhishorseshimselfbefore

sellingthem,andthenextdaymytrainingbegan.

Totrainahorseistoteachhimtowearasaddle,

andtocarryaman,womanorchildonhisback.Thehorse

mustalsolearntowearacollar,andtostandstill

whenitisputon；thentohaveacarriagefixedbehind

him,andtogofastorslow,whicheverhisdriver

wishes.Hemustneverbiteorkickortalktoother

horses,andmustalwaysdowhathismastertellshim,

howevertiredorhungryhefeels.

Likeallhorsesthathavegrownup,Ihadtowear

abitandbridle.Abitisagreatpieceofcoldhard

metal,asthickasaman'sfinger,whichispushedinto

ahorse，smouthbetweenhisteethandoverhistongue,

withtheendscomingoutatthecorners.Itisheld

therebystrapswhichgooverthehorse，shead,under

hisneck,roundhisnoseandunderhischin.Reins,

whichtheriderholds,arefastenedtoeachendofthe

bit.Slowly,withmymaster'skindwordsandgentle

ways,Ilearnedtowearmybitandbridle.

Nexttherewasthesaddle.Mymasterputitonmy

backverygently,thenfixedthestrapsundermybody,

speakingqui-etlytomeallthetime.Thenonemorning,

hegotonmybackandrodemeroundthefieldonthe

softgrass.HedidthiseverydayuntilIwasusedto

it.Thenhetookmetothevillagewhereamanfixed

metalshoesontoeachhoof.Myfeetfeltheavyand

strange,butIgotusedtothis,too.

Thereweremorenewthingstowear.First,aheavy

collaronmyneck,andabridlewithgreatsidepieces

againstmyeyes,calledblinkers.Withtheseon,Icould

onlyseeinfrontofme.ButintimeIgotusedto

everything,andcoulddomyworkaswellasmymother.

Forafortnight,mymastersentmetoaneighbour's

farmforanotherkindoftraining,whichwasvery

usefultome.Onefieldwasnexttotherailwayandhad

sheepandcowsinit,andIwasputinamongthem.I

shallneverforgetthefirsttrainthatthunderedby,

andhowIgallopedtothefarsideofthefield,

tremblingwithfearatthisterriblenoise.Butafter

afewdaysIcaredaslittleasthesheepandcowswhen

atrainpassedby.

ItwasearlyinMaywhenamancametotakemeaway

toMrGordon，shouse.Mymastersaid,'Goodbye,Darkie.Be

agoodhorse,andalwaysdoyourbest.’Iputmynose

intohishandandhepattedmekindly,andthenIleft

myfirsthome.

***

MrGordon5shouse,whichwascalledtheHall,stood

inBirtwickPark,nearthevillage.Wewentintothe

Parkthroughalargegate,thentrottedalongasmooth

roadbetweensometreestothehouseandgardens.Beyond

thiswerethestables.

Therewasroomformanyhorsesandcarriages.My

stablehadfourgoodstallsandalargewindow.Itwas

verypleasant.Thefirststallwascalledaloosebox,

whereahorseisnottiedupallthetimebutisfree

tomovearoundashelikes.Itisagreatthingtohave

aloosebox.Thegroomputmeintoitandgavemesome

oats.Thenhepattedme,spokekindly,andwentaway.In

thestallnexttominestoodalittlefatgreypony.

5Hello,'Isaid.’Whatisyourname?’

，Merrylegs,，hesaid,turninground.'I'mvery

handsome.Icarrytheyoungladiesonmyback,and

sometimesItakeMrsGordonoutinoneofthe

carriages.Areyougoingtolivenexttomeinthebox?

'Yes,'Isaid.

'ThenIhopeyouarewell-behaved,(hesaid.‘Idon't

likeanyonewhobites.’

Ahorse,sheadlookedoverfromthestallbeyond.It

wasatallbrownmare,andshedidnotlookpleased.’So

it'syouwhohasturnedmeoutofmybx,'shesaid.

'I5msorry,'Isaid,'butthemanputmeinhere,

soitisnotmyfault.Idon，twanttoarguewithanyone；

Ijustwishtoliveinpeace.

Later,Merrylegstoldmeaboutthetallbrownmare.

5Gingerhasabadhabitofbitingpeople,5he

explained.’Oneday,shebitJamesinthearm,andMiss

FloraandMissJessie,thechildren,wereafraidto

comeintothestableafterthat.Ifyoudon，tbite,

Ihopethey'11starttocomeagain.'

ItoldhimIneverbitanythingexceptgrassand

couldnotunderstandwhyGingerbitpeople.

Noonewaseverkindtoherbeforeshecamehere,

5saidMerrylegs.5JohnandJamesdoalltheycanto

pleaseher,andourmasterisneverunkind.I'mtwelve

yearsold,andIknowthatthereisn，tabetterplace

forahorseallroundthecountrythanthis.Johnhas

beenherefourteenyearsandisthebestgroomthere

everwas.Andyouneversawakinderstableboythan

James.TherewasnoreasonforGingertobite

anyone.It'sherownfaultthatshedidnotstayinthe

box.'

ThenameofthegroomwasJohnManly.Thenext

morning,hegotouthisbrushesandgavemeagood

grooming,thenputasaddleonme.Herodemeslowly

atfirst,thenatatrot,thenatagallop.Aswecame

backthroughthePark,wemetMrandMrsGordon.They

stoppedandJohnjumpedoff.

，Well,John,howdoeshego?'saidMrGordon.

‘He'safinehorse,sir,'saidJohn.'He'sfast,

butthelight-esttouchofthereinwillguidehim.They

wereshootingbirdsnearHighwood,andagunwentoff

closeby.Hepulledupalit-tle,butIjustheldthe

reinandhewasn'tfrightenedatall.It'smyopinion

hewasneverfrightenedorbeatenwhenhewasyoung.

Good,'saidMrGordon.'I'11ridehimtomorrow.

1rememberedmymother'sadvice,andthenextday

Itriedtodoexactlywhatmymasterwantedmetodo.He

wasaverygoodrider,andwhenhecamehomehiswife

waswaitingforhimatthedoor.

'Howdoyoulikehim,mydear?'sheasked.

'Ihaveneverriddenamorepleasanthorse,

'answeredMrGordon.’Whatshallwecallhim?’

'WhataboutBlackbird,likeyouruncle'sold

horse?'saidhiswife.

He'sfarhandsomerthanBlackbird,'saidMr

Gordon.

'Yes,'shesaid,'he'squiteabeauty,andhehas

akind,in-telligentface.ShallwecallhimBlack

Beauty?'

，BlackBeauty一why,yes,Ithinkthat，saverygood

name,'saidMrGordon.

JohnwentintothestableandtoldJames.

'I5dcallhimRobRoy,'saidJames,'ifitdidnot

remindev-eryoneofthepast.Ineversawtwohorses

morealike.’

’That5snotsurprising,'saidJohn.’Didn5tyouknow

thatFarmerGrey，soldDuchesswasthemotherofthem

both?

SopoorRobRoywhowaskilledatthehuntwasmy

brother!NowIunderstoodwhymymotherwassounhappy

whenhedied.

Johnwasveryproudofme,andseemedtoknowjust

howahorsefeels.AndJameswaskind,too.

Adayortwolater,Iwentoutinthecarriagewith

Ginger.Iwonderedhowwewouldgetontogether,but

Ifounditeasytotrotalongbesideher.

Merrylegswasahappylittleponyandwas

everyone5sfavourite.Weweresoongreatfriendsand

Ibecamequitehappyinmynewhome.

2伯特威克莊園

我開始長(zhǎng)得英俊了。我的毛細(xì)膩柔軟，油黑油黑的，有

一只腳是白色的，前額上還有一顆漂亮的白星。在我歲時(shí)，

高頓先生來看我。他仔細(xì)地看了我的眼睛、嘴巴和腿，然后

我為他表演了走步、小跑和奔馳。

“把他訓(xùn)練一下，”高頓先生對(duì)我的主人說，“他會(huì)做

得很好?！?/p>

我的主人喜歡在賣馬前親自馴馬，于是第二天我的訓(xùn)練

開始了。

訓(xùn)練一匹馬，要教他學(xué)會(huì)配戴馬鞍，馱男人、女人和小

孩。這匹馬還得學(xué)會(huì)戴輒具，在套輒具時(shí)，得站穩(wěn)了不能移

動(dòng)；然后還得學(xué)會(huì)在身后套上一輛馬車，按趕車人的意思快

走或慢走。他永遠(yuǎn)不得踢、咬或者和其他馬閑聊，而且不管

多累多餓，都必須永遠(yuǎn)服從主人。

和所有成年的馬一樣，我得戴上嚼口和籠頭。馬嚼口是

一大片又冷又硬的金屬，像人的手指那么厚，塞進(jìn)馬嘴，卡

在上下兩排牙齒之間，舌頭之上，末端從嘴角伸出來。勒住

嚼口的繩子繞著馬頭，經(jīng)過脖子下面，圍著鼻子和下巴須兒。

馬夫手里的韁繩緊緊系住嚼口的兩端。慢慢地，在我主人的

好言好語和溫柔的動(dòng)作引導(dǎo)下，我學(xué)會(huì)了戴嚼口和籠頭。

下一步是戴馬鞍。主人非常輕柔地把它放到我的背上，

把繩子在我的肚皮下系住。他一直輕輕地跟我說著話。然后

一天早上，他騎上我在軟軟的草上繞著田野走了走。他每天

都這樣，直到我習(xí)慣了為止。然后他帶我到村里的一個(gè)人那

兒，給我的每只腳都釘上了掌。我的腳覺得又沉又怪，不過

后來我連這個(gè)也習(xí)慣了。

還有好多新東西要戴。首先，是脖子上重重的輾具，還

有籠頭，帶著一大塊擋住我的眼睛的叫作馬眼罩的東西。戴

上它們，我只能看見我前方的東西。但漸漸地我適應(yīng)了這一

切，而且能把活干得和媽媽一樣好了。

有兩周的時(shí)間，主人把我送到鄰居的農(nóng)場(chǎng)里進(jìn)行另一項(xiàng)

訓(xùn)練，這對(duì)我非常有用。這是一片靠近鐵路的田野，有羊，

有牛，我被放到他們中間。我永遠(yuǎn)忘不了當(dāng)?shù)谝惠v火車轟鳴

而過的時(shí)候，我是如何害怕得渾身顫抖，如何飛也似地逃得

遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)的。不過幾天以后，再有火車過時(shí)，我已和那些牛羊一

樣若無其事了。

月初，一個(gè)男人來帶我去高頓先生家。我主人說：“再

見了，小黑，做一匹好馬，永遠(yuǎn)全力而為?！蔽野驯亲臃旁?/p>

他手里，他親切地拍了拍我，然后我就離開了我的第一個(gè)家。

***

高頓先生的房子叫作大宅，就在村子附近的伯特威克莊

園。我們穿過一個(gè)大門走進(jìn)去，小跑著經(jīng)過一條平坦的通向

房子和花園的林間路，盡頭是一排馬廄。

這里很大，能容得下很多馬匹和馬車。我的馬廄分成挺

像樣的個(gè)欄，還有一扇大窗。真體面。第一欄叫作“放飼馬

房”，在這兒馬不拴著，想怎么走動(dòng)都可以。有這么一個(gè)自

由的空間真是太好了。馬夫牽我進(jìn)屋，喂了我一些燕麥。然

后他拍拍我，溫和地說了幾句就走了。在我隔壁是一匹胖乎

乎的小灰馬。

“你好，”我說，“你叫什么名字？”

“樂腿兒，”他說著轉(zhuǎn)過身來。“我很漂亮。我馱著小

姐們，有時(shí)還拉車帶高頓夫人出去。你要住在我隔壁嗎？”

“是的，”我說。

“那我希望你舉止得體，”他說，“我不喜歡愛咬人的

馬?！?/p>

一匹馬的頭從那邊的欄里探出來，那是一匹高高的棕色

母馬。她看上去不太高興?！边@么說就是你把我從我的欄里

趕出來的了，”她說。

“對(duì)不起，”我說，“但是是那個(gè)人把我放在這兒的，

這可不是我的錯(cuò)。我不想和誰吵架，只想平平安安地過日

子?！?/p>

后來，樂腿兒給我講了高個(gè)兒棕色母馬的事情。

“金兒有個(gè)壞毛病，就是愛咬人，”他說?！耙惶?，她

咬了詹姆斯的胳膊，后來弗勞拉小姐、潔茜小姐和其他孩子

就不敢到馬廄來了。如果你不咬，我希望他們會(huì)再來?！?/p>

我告訴他我除了青草以外，什么都不咬，也想不透金兒

為什么咬人。

“她來這兒之前沒人對(duì)她好過?！睒吠葍赫f?！凹s翰和

詹姆斯想盡辦法逗她樂，我們主人也從沒有對(duì)她不好。我歲

了，我可知道對(duì)一匹馬來說，附近再?zèng)]一個(gè)地方比這兒更好

了。約翰在這兒年了，是有史以來最棒的馬夫。詹姆斯呢，

你也找不到比他更好的馬童了。金兒沒有理由咬任何人。她

不能呆在馬廄里，這是她的錯(cuò)?！?/p>

馬夫叫約翰?曼利。第二天早上，他用刷子把我好好刷

洗了一通，然后給我備上了鞍。他起先騎上我慢慢地走，然

后是小跑，再后是飛奔。我們穿過莊園回來時(shí)，碰上了高頓

先生和太太。他們停住腳，約翰跳了下來。

“啊，約翰，他怎么樣？”高頓先生說。

“先生，他是匹好馬?！奔s翰說?！八俣群芸欤p輕

地一碰韁繩就知道往哪兒走。有人在樹林附近打鳥，有一槍

就響在旁邊，他嚇了一小跳，可是我只管抓著韁繩，他就一

點(diǎn)兒也不怕了。我覺得他小時(shí)候可能從沒受過驚嚇，也沒挨

過打?！?/p>

“好啊，”高頓先生說，“我明天騎騎他?！?/p>

我還記著媽媽的話，第二天我努力按主人的意思做。他

是個(gè)非常好的騎手。他回家時(shí)，他的太太在門口等著他。

“親愛的，你覺得他怎么樣？”她問。

“我還從沒騎過這么讓人喜歡的馬呢，"高頓先生說。

“我們叫他什么名字呢？”

“就跟你叔叔以前的那匹一樣，叫黑鳥怎么樣？”他太

太問。

“他可比黑鳥漂亮多了，”高頓先生說。

“是啊，”她說，“他真美，他有一張善良、聰明的臉。

我們叫他黑駿馬怎么樣？”

“黑駿馬一一咦，對(duì)呀，我覺得這是個(gè)非常好的名字?！?/p>

高頓先生說。

約翰走進(jìn)馬廄把這一切告訴了詹姆斯。

“我愿意叫他羅伯?羅伊，”詹姆斯說，“要是這不會(huì)

讓人想起過去那段事的話。我從沒見過兩匹馬這么相像過?！?/p>

“那不奇怪，”約翰說，“你不知道這兩匹馬的媽媽都

是農(nóng)夫格雷的老杜琪絲嗎？”

原來，在那場(chǎng)狩獵中死去的可憐的羅伯?羅伊是我哥哥！

現(xiàn)在我明白了為什么他死時(shí)我媽媽那么不高興了。

約翰十分以我為榮，而且好像知道馬的心思。詹姆斯也

很好。

一兩天后，我和金兒一起拉車出去。我開始還擔(dān)心我們

能不能相處得好，后來發(fā)現(xiàn)和她一起小跑還是挺自在的。

樂腿兒是一匹樂呵呵的小馬駒，也是大家的寶貝。我們

很快成了好朋友，我在新家里逐漸開心起來。

Chapter3Ginger'sstory

WhatmorecouldIwant?Freedom!Forthefirstfour

yearsofmylifeIhadalargefieldwhereI

couldgalloparoundatfullspeed一withnostraps,

nobit,andnoblinkers.NowIstoodinastable,night

andday,exceptwhenIwaswantedforwork,and

sometimeswhenJohntookmeout,Ifeltsostrong,

sofulloflife,thatIwantedtojumpordance.

5Calmdown,boy!!hewouldsay.

Then,assoonaswewereoutofthevillage,hewould

letmetrotfastforafew

miles.Somegroomspunishedahorseforgettingtoo

excited,butnotJohn.Heknewhowtocontrolmewith

onlythesoundofhisvoice,andIwasveryfondof

him.

Sometimeswedidhaveourfreedominthefieldfor

anhourortwo.ThiswasonfineSundaysinthesummer,

becausethecarriageneverwentoutonSundays.Itwas

wonderful.Thegrasswascoolandsofttoourfeet,

andtheairwassosweet.Andwecouldgalloporlie

downorrolloveronourbacks,ordowhatweliked.

OnedayGingeraskedmeaboutmyoldhomeandmy

train-ing.WhenIfinishedtellingher,shesaid,'Life

hasbeendiffer-entforme.Iwastakenfrommymother

whenIwasyoung,andtherewasnokindmasterlikeyours

tolookafterme.IhadabadtimewhenIwas

trained.Severalmencaughtmeinacornerofthefield

andoneheldmynosesohardthatIcouldonlyjust

breathe.Thenanotherpulledmymouthopentoputthe

bitin,andIwaspulledalongandbeatenfrom

behind.Theydidn'tgivemeachancetounderstandwhat

theywan-ted.

'Theoldmaster,MrRyder,knewabouthorses,

buthegaveupmostofthebusinesstohisson,who

wastallandstrong,butnotgentle.Theycalledhim

Samson,andhesaidthatnohorsecouldthrowhimout

ofthesaddle.Oneday,hemademerunroundthefield

onalongreinuntilIwasverytiredand

miser-able.Thenextmorninghedidthesameagain,

thenheputasaddleandbridleonme,andanewkind

ofbitintomymouth.

'ThenewbitwasverypainfulandIpulledawayand

stooduponmybacklegs,whichmadehimveryangry.He

stayedinthesaddleandbeatmewithawhip,butafter

alongandterri-blebattleIthrewhimoff

andgallopedtotheotherendofthefield.

'Iwatchedhimgointothestable,butnoonecame

tofetchme.Timewentonandthesunwasveryhot.I

washungryandverythirsty.Atlast,justasthesun

wasgoingdown,theoldmastercameoutwithsome

oats.Hespokekindlyandheldouttheoatsforme

toeat,thenpattedmegentlyandlookedattheblood

onmysideswhereSamsonhadwhippedme.

'uPoorgirl!”hesaid,thenledmetothe

stable.Samsonwasthere."Keepoutoftheway,“

saidthemaster."You'vedoneabadday'sworkforthis

horsewithyourbadtemper.Abad-temperedmanwill

nevermakeagood-temperedhorse."Heledmeintomy

boxandtookoffmysaddleandbridle.Thenhecalled

forsomewarmwaterandgentlycleanedthebloodfrom

mysides.

5Afterthat,heoftencametoseeme,butaman

calledJoewentontrainingme.Hewasquietand

thoughtfulandIsoonlearnedwhathewanted.

'Aftermytraining,'Gingerwenton,'Iwasbought

byadealertomatchanotherhorseofmycolour.But

thenweweresoldtoamaninLondonwhodroveuswith

abearingrein一areintoholdourheads

upunnaturallyhighandtokeepthemthere,forhours

andhours,untilthepainwasterrible.Wehadtowear

twobitsinsteadofone,andminewassosharpthatit

mademymouthbleed.Sometimeswewaitedforhourswhile

ourmasterormistresswasatpartiesorthetheatre,

andifweweren'tpatient,thedriverwouldwhipus.’

'Didn，tyourmastercareaboutyouatall?'Isaid.

'Onlyabouthowwelooked,'repliedGinger.’Heknew

verylittleabouthorses.ThedrivertoldhimIhada

badtemperbutwouldsoongetusedtothebearingrein.I

waswillingtoworkandlearn,buttheyweresocruel

thatitmademeangry.ThenIbrokeawayfromthe

carriageoneday,andthatwastheendofthatplace.

'Iwassoldtoanotherman,buthehadagroomas

bad-tem-peredasSamson.Hehitmeacrossthelegswith

hisstablebrushifIdidn，tmovequickly.Ihatedhim,

andonedaywhenhemademeangry,Ibithim!Henever

cameintomystallaf-terthat,andIwassoonsold

again.

'Adealerheardofmeandsaidhethoughtheknew

oneplacewhereIshoulddowell."It'swrongfora

finehorsetogobadlikethat,“hesaid.AndIwas

broughthere,notlongbeforeyoucame.Ofcourse,

it'sverydifferenthere.Butwhoknowshowlongitwill

last?rvedecidedthatallmenaremynatural

enemies.'

IwassorryforGinger,butastheweekswenton,

shebe-camehappierandmoregentle.

IdobelieveGingerisgettingquitefondofme,

'Jamessaidoneday.

'She'11beasgoodasBlackEeautyoneday,'replied

John.(Kindnessisallsheneeds,poorthing!’

3金兒的故事

我還想要什么呢？自由！在我生命的頭年，我曾擁有那

么廣闊的田野，我可以在那兒全速奔馳一一沒有韁繩，沒有

嚼口，也沒有眼罩?，F(xiàn)在，除了有活干的時(shí)候，我得日夜呆

在馬廄里，有時(shí)約翰帶我出去的時(shí)候，我覺得自己是那么強(qiáng)

壯有力，充滿生機(jī)，我按捺不住地想跳躍，想舞蹈。

“靜一點(diǎn)兒，伙計(jì)！”他會(huì)說。

我們一出村，他就會(huì)讓我撒開了跑上幾里。有的馬夫會(huì)

懲罰過度興奮的馬，約翰不。他知道怎么能只用聲音來控制

我，我真喜歡他。

有時(shí)在田野里，我們可以盡情享受一兩小時(shí)自由。這時(shí)

往往是在夏天的周日，因?yàn)轳R車在周日不外出。那真叫妙不

可言。青草踏上去涼爽而柔軟，連空氣都是甜的。我們可以

或飛跑或臥倒或是滾來滾去，隨心所欲。

一天金兒?jiǎn)柶鹞业睦霞液臀沂艿挠?xùn)練。我講完后，她說:

“過去我的生活可不是這樣。我小時(shí)候就被人從我媽媽身邊

帶走，可沒有像你的主人那么好的人照顧我。訓(xùn)練時(shí)我可受

了罪了。幾個(gè)人在草場(chǎng)的一角捉住我，一個(gè)人緊緊地抓住我

的鼻子，我都快透不過氣來了。另一個(gè)掰開我的嘴，塞進(jìn)嚼

子，我一路被拖著，屁股被抽打著。他們不給我時(shí)間弄明白

他們到底想要我干什么。

Chapter4Kindnessandcruelty

AneighbouroftheGordons5,MrBlomefield,hada

largefamilyofboysandgirlswhooftencametoplay

withMissJessieandMissFlora.Oneofthegirlswas

thesameageasMissJessie,twooftheboyswereolder,

andthereweresev-erallittleones.Whenevertheycame,

thechiIdrenlovedtorideMerrylegs.

Oneafternoonwhentheywerevisiting,James

broughtMerrylegsinandsaid,'Now,behaveyourself.’

'Whatdidyoudo,Merrylegs?'Iaskedhim.

'Thoseyoungpeopledidn'tseemtoknowwhellIwas

tired,'hesaid,5soIjustthrewthemoffbackwards.It

wastheonlythingtheycouldunderstand.'

'Youthrewthechildrenoff!'Isaid.’Oh,no!

DidyouthrowMissFloraorMissJessie?

'No,ofcoursenot!I'mquietandcarefulwiththem,

andwiththelittleones.I'mthebestfriendandriding

teacherthosechildrenhave.It'snotthem,it'sthe

boys,'hesaid.’Theotherchildrenrodemefornearly

twohours,thentheboysrodeme,oneaftertheother,

foranhour,hittingmewithastick.Ididn，tgetannoyed

butIdidgettired,soIstoppedonceortwicetolet

themknow.Butboysthinkah